City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works School of Arts & Sciences Theses Hunter College Spring 5-2-2019 Why Does It Have To Be So Loud? A Social History Of The Electric Guitar Thomas Dunne CUNY Hunter College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/429 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] 1 Why Does It Have To Be So Loud? A Social History Of The Electric Guitar by Thomas Dunne Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts History, Hunter College The City University of New York 2019 Thesis Sponsor: May 2, 2019 Jonathan Rosenberg Date Signature May 2, 2019 Kevin Sachs Date Signature of Second Reader 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 3 2. Chapter 1 The Instrument 8 3. Chapter 2 Social Impact 34 4. Chapter 3 Guitar Gods 65 5. Conclusion 98 3 In the summer of 2017, I taught a Project-Based Learning course on the blues and the electric guitar at the Harlem Children’s Zone in New York City. The course curriculum included learning about the electric guitar, the blues, and rock ‘n’ roll. I had the kids write blues songs, and showed them my Gibson Les Paul electric guitar and let them play it. We also learned about some of the most celebrated guitarists who played this type of music, of which the children had little to no knowledge. Still, I thought they might have heard of Jimi Hendrix when I had them watch a documentary about the legend one day. I was wrong. None of the students had any idea who Hendrix was, and not five minutes into the film, one particularly restless sixth grader aired his unsolicited opinion on the subject. “Who is this guy? He sucks! Nobody cares about him. Why are we watching this? Can’t we do something else?” Mercifully, that student transferred out of the class the next day, but most of the students shared his lack of interest. They enjoyed trying to play my guitar, but for most it was little more than a curious novelty, and they had no real interest in the music I was showing them. They only listened to hip-hop and electronic dance music, two genres that rarely utilize the electric guitar. The electric guitar and guitar-driven music hardly inspired any enthusiasm at all. But it was not always this way. In the twentieth century, the electric guitar and its greatest players captivated audiences in America and around the globe. Beginning as a practical way to provide more volume to guitar players struggling to be heard, the electric guitar evolved into an instrument with a sound of its own, a sound that would influence and change every form of American music. In the 1950’s, the electric guitar would be the catalyst for a new genre 4 that came to be known as rock ‘n’ roll. Rock ‘n’ roll, a derivation of blues music, became a polarizing phenomenon in the mid to late twentieth century. It was the music of choice of the youth of the baby-boomer generation. Its close association with African-American musical forms caused consternation and alarm amongst the parents of rock ‘n’ roll fans and the white establishment generally, who saw rock ‘n’ roll as a dangerous threat to racial segregation and social order. Its loud, aggressive sound also had a polarizing effect. What was fun, thrilling music to the kids was annoying noise to the adults. The electric guitar and its greatest rock players were responsible for the noise. The history and influence of the electric guitar and the men who achieved the greatest fame and recognition playing it are the subjects of this thesis. I will discuss the history of the electric guitar and argue that it achieved a special status in American culture that no other instrument could match. Its profound effect on most genres of American music and its close association with the baby-boomer generation and rock ‘n’ roll transformed it into an iconic symbol of American culture. I will further argue that the greatest lead guitarists playing rock ‘n’ roll achieved a special status that even their most accomplished peers in the genres of jazz, blues, and country could not attain. They took on an aura that one associates with fictional superheroes with special powers. They were not simply great rock guitar players. Instead, the terms “guitar hero” and “guitar god” came to be applied to them, and I will discuss why this was so. In the first chapter, I will discuss how and why the electric guitar came into being and explain what an electric guitar is. We will see that the electric guitar’s original raison d’etre was 5 to provide more volume for guitarists who could not be heard while playing in western swing, Hawaiian, and big band jazz groups, which were popular in the 1920’s and 30’s, when the earliest incarnations of the electric guitar first appeared. We will also see that there is not one type of electric guitar; they can vary depending on the solidity of the guitar, and the electronics contained within the guitar also play a crucial role in distinguishing an electric guitar from an acoustic. In the second chapter, I will discuss how the electric guitar influenced and changed most forms of American music in the twentieth century. It is a remarkably versatile instrument, and is used in most music genres. I will also discuss how the electric guitar provided the volume that players were looking for, and profoundly altered the role of the guitarist in a band. Guitarists were no longer relegated to playing only rhythm; they could play solos like the other instrumentalists. Guitarists playing these solos came to be known as “lead” guitarists. This crucial development had a profound effect on American music, as most genres came to feature brilliant lead guitar players. I will also discuss the prime movers behind the development of the electric guitar and the culture of tinkering from which they came. Inveterate tinkerers like Les Paul and Leo Fender were inspired by the advent of electronics and the rise of radio. They would disassemble and reassemble radios and other electronic devices, and would later apply their tinkering knowledge, interest, and skill to the construction and development of the electric guitar. This chapter will also discuss how the electric guitar was the essential instrument behind the rise of rock ‘n’ roll in the 1950’s, and how it became a polarizing symbol of the youth culture 6 that embraced this new genre. Over time, it became an icon of American culture, as it transcended its original purpose of merely producing musical sound. The sleek beauty, futuristic design, and otherworldly, modern sound of the solid-body electric guitar came to represent the time in which it originated. It also became a unifying symbol of the youth culture of the sixties and seventies, and an object of derision to those who despised the culture that embraced it. In the third chapter, I will discuss and explore why the greatest rock players of the sixties and seventies came to be called “guitar heroes” and “gods.” The refinement and improvements in amplification in the 1960’s allowed guitarists to play at tremendous volume. Those who could harness that volume and create amazing sounds while demonstrating remarkable skill as lead guitarists came to be venerated, even worshipped. The excellent music they produced, their appearance, their skills, and the widespread praise and attention they received all contributed to a special status in American culture, which was unparalleled. I will discuss the lives and careers of the three of the foremost guitar gods. As we shall see, with great adulation also came turmoil, and even death. Instantly recognizable in both appearance and sound, the electric guitar has become a permanent fixture in American life. The finest and most sought-after models are still being played today with the same design that was perfected sixty to seventy years ago. And while the influence and use of the electric guitar is not as prevalent in popular music as it used to be, it remains a cherished icon. The market for vintage electric guitars originally built in the 1950’s demonstrates this. Gibson Les Paul guitars built in the late fifties in excellent condition regularly sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the electric guitar is one of the most recognizable 7 artifacts of American culture in the twentieth century. Perhaps one day the electric guitar will regain its prominence in popular music, as well. 8 CHAPTER 1 THE INSTRUMENT 9 Dockery Plantation, a 10,000 acre sawmill and cotton plantation in the heart of the Mississippi Delta,1 is generally considered the birthplace of Delta blues, a type of blues music that emerged in the first quarter of the twentieth century. It was home, at various times, to some of the most popular and seminal bluesmen in American history, including Son House, Robert Johnson, Charley Patton, Howlin’ Wolf, and Pops Staples. Apart from working the fields, these men all performed as singers and guitarists in the 1920’s and 30’s at various gatherings throughout the plantation, within a culture where musical performance was encouraged. Concerts were organized and even hosted at times by plantation owner Will Dockery, who was known for treating his tenants fairly.2 These performances could last all night, and were loud and raucous affairs.